Victorians will be more vulnerable to the impact of bushfire after Minister for Environment, Enver Erdogan, failed to guarantee there would be no cuts to regionally based Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic) staff.
Shadow Minister for Public Land Management, Melina Bath, said any reduction in frontline personnel would directly undermine bushfire preparedness and community safety.
During Question Time, Ms Bath asked the Minister for Environment what assurance could be given that no regionally based Forest Fire Management jobs would be cut this year.
The Minister failed to provide any guarantee that regional staff positions would be protected.
Ms Bath said the response would alarm regional communities already concerned about bushfire risk and the loss of local workforce capability.
“Forest Fire Management staff and contractors are essential to bushfire mitigation, delivering vital fuel reduction and land management work to reduce bushfire risk”, Ms Bath said.
“With close of the timber industry and loss of contract timber workers and contractors, communities have already lost critical capacity.”
Ms Bath said bushfire preparedness requires year-round investment and workforce certainty, yet the Allan Labor Government continues to fall short of commitments made following the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission.
“Victorians were promised stronger bushfire preparedness and better support for frontline operations, but instead we are seeing uncertainty around regional jobs and ongoing failures in operational readiness,” she said.
Despite Labor’s claims of investment, faulty equipment has sidelined FFMVic vehicles, forcing reliance on second-hand gear from interstate.
Ms Bath questioned how vital winter fuel reduction and forest management work could be delivered if the frontline workforce continues to be undermined.
“Fuel reduction work completed during the cooler months is critical to reducing bushfire risk ahead of summer.
“You cannot continue weakening the workforce responsible for that work while claiming to prioritise community safety,” Ms Bath said.
“Regional Victorians deserve certainty that the people protecting their communities, public land and environment will be properly resourced and supported.”
